


Stay Made Of Lightning

by hot_damn_louis



Series: 12 Days Of Christmas 2014 [2]
Category: One Direction
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-03
Updated: 2014-12-03
Packaged: 2018-02-27 23:37:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2710832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hot_damn_louis/pseuds/hot_damn_louis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis is in a coma. Harry volunteers at the hospital. </p><p>Idea sent in by hallieisbetterthanmost.<br/>"<b>Larry AU where harry is a nurse in a coma ward and Louis' disembodied mind keeps trying to come up with good pick-up lines to tell Harry when he wakes up. Next day, Harry is talking to himself next to Louis about how cute he is, and Louis wakes up.</b>"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stay Made Of Lightning

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Kezia for editing everything! Couldn't have done it without you. 
> 
> **Disclaimer:** This is a work of fiction. I don't own anything or any part of One Direction and such.
> 
> Sorry, but there is no pick up lines. Do you know how hard it is to come up with pick up lines? I really did try to include at least one or two, but it fell through. 
> 
> My tumblr is [here](http://hot-damn-louis.tumblr.com/). 
> 
> Title is from Girl Almighty by One Direction.

The first thought Louis had in the blank abyss that was his mind was ‘Why am I here?’. The second was a wild mash of panicked sounds, and the third a silent scream that throbbed at the edges of his mind, not in a good way. It amazed Louis that while he was active in his mind, he could not open his eyes or move his fingers. It didn’t even feel as if he had eyes or fingers, it just felt as if he was a conscience floating through existence.

The only thing that really mattered to Louis was that it scared the crap outta him.

I mean, he knew his name, and his family, and all the events that he could remember at the moment, even _picture_ them, but when he let his mind clear, it was just… emptiness. A blank, bottomless black hole that extended past the depths of his mind. Louis wanted to think that this was death, and that this was the universe’s warm way of welcoming him into the deep pits of hell, but something nagged at him to stay at the surface instead of going towards that even darker puddle of nothingness. Something told him to stay right where he was and not to venture any further, and Louis knew he could trust that voice.

After what seemed like forever in Louis’ perspective, but was really barely hours, Louis’s perception picked up on some voices entering his mind. It was weird to hear something other than his own self, but it was enlightening to his situation to hear what they were saying. Louis strained with all of his might to hear what they were saying and hoped that they would talk loud enough for him to hear.

“This is the last room on this floor. I saved this one for last for many reasons. Mainly because instead of a physically awake person, we have a coma patient. After a few days, he will be moved to a more long term area, but for now they are monitoring his levels and hoping that he comes back. Too many days on the other side can affect someone,” a female voice said. Louis’ thoughts stiffened at the words ‘coma patient’. So that’s what he was. Trapped in a coma.

“And his family?” a male asked, his voice hitched slightly.

“Oh, Harry,” the same female said to the male. So, the guys name was Harry. Louis tried to memorize his voice in the hope that he could recognize him later. “His accident happened just a few hours ago. Maybe 6 at the most. His family lives in Doncaster and was only informed an hour or two ago, right after he got out of surgery. They won’t be here for another two or so hours, at the soonest. That’s why I was going to leave you here with him. Louis needs some company. I wouldn’t want to leave him alone. I believe that coma patients wake up quicker and recover faster with someone by their side. Just stick around until the mother gets here, alright?” the female said.

“Sure,” Harry said. Louis heard a pair of footsteps echo as they walked away, soon disappearing. He could hear the familiar screech of a wooden chair being dragged along a linoleum floor, with someone’s body plopping into the cushion loudly. For moments that seemed to drag on, there was silence from the person in the chair near his area of perception. All Louis could hear was the beep of a machine that Louis recognized as a heart monitor.

“I can’t believe something like this could happen to someone like you,” Harry whispered, almost too low for Louis to hear. “I mean, you’re quite beautiful, and I can’t even fathom you getting yourself into such a mess that you would hurt yourself this bad. Just pains me on the insides. What am I even saying, you know? I’m just trying to get some volunteer hours before I go back for my final year of uni and the only volunteer spot open was here, at the hospital. But now I’m just rambling about myself. Sorry if you can hear me and are hating everything I’m saying,” Harry added, and Louis could hear the frown in his voice.

“Like, I just wanted to go to school and become a teacher and teach year three kids, you know? I’ve never had siblings, but I love kids. But now I’m stuck in this hospital all summer and I swear I’ll barf by the end of the day. I’m kind of glad that I was told to sit in here because I don’t know if I can handle anymore dying people, you know? People with terminal cancer and those with hope when they really shouldn’t have it. Made me cry during my lunch break. Can’t believe I couldn’t stomach it. Let’s just hope that I can hide in here as often as possible, otherwise I don’t know if I can handle this upcoming month, you know? At least its only a month, otherwise I would quit now. But I’m not a quitter,” Harry continued, just talking to Louis’ still body, Louis soaking up every word.

Harry continued to ramble, his slow words and his pleasant voice filling Louis’ brain for what seemed like an endless expanse of time that happened in only moments. Louis couldn’t help but want more, even after Harry said his goodbyes to him. Louis just wanted to meet the face that came with the boy.  

***

After an amount of time, Louis couldn’t be quite sure because he didn’t have a clock or anything. All Louis knew was that after Harry left, he heard the obvious sounds of a hospital such as the squeak of linoleum and the beep of a heart monitor. Then, there was a period of time that Louis knew he blacked out for, and then he was there again, aware in his brain. He assumed that the time he spent without a memory was the time his brain was asleep. He couldn’t be awake all the time.

He heard the sounds of a nurse near him, fumbling with something that sounded like sheets. Based off of the placement of sounds, she was somewhere a few feet away right in between his ears, so he knew that the person was somewhere right in front of him. Louis thought that if he was in a body, the nurse would be near his feet. She hummed as she moved around, her voice reading charts out loud and talking as she worked. Louis had no idea what she was doing, and could only take wild guesses over what she was doing in a hospital.

After a while, with nurses coming in and out of his room over long periods of time, snippets of conversation filling his head as the day passed on. At some point, the familiar slow voice of Harry’s filled his ears with a greeting, the sound of the his body landing in a chair next to the bed.

“Hey, Louis,” Harry greeted, his voice slow and sounding out each syllable as he talked. “Came in to sit with you on my lunch. I actually really like it in here. It’s quiet. And I talked to your mum. She was here earlier. Did you hear her? Can you even hear me? Anyways, she stopped by for a few hours yesterday late last night, and came back early early this morning. She just slept on the couch in here for a while before leaving. She came back and sat vigil by your bed earlier, but I don’t know if you heard her. Maybe she will come and talk to you later. Your sisters were crying in the cafeteria when I went to grab my sandwich and a tea, which made me want to cry. Your sisters are such sweet girls.

“I was wondering about your backstory, because all I get to see is your charts and your family. I mean, I met your family earlier when I walked around with Cassandra, but still I don’t know anything about you, and if you really are listening, then you know a lot about me. I mean, I would love to know a lot about you eventually, you know? Like, you seem to be a good guy and I really like to make new friends. Maybe that’s the reason why I want to be a grade school teacher.

“I’ve only ever had an older sister. I’ve always wanted younger siblings, but my mother never had any kids after me. And I can’t necessarily treat my older sister as a younger one, now can I? I just end up babysitting. I got so popular babysitting that I had a job nearly every night and people booked me out weeks in advance. It was hard to break the news to them that I was leaving for London for college. I still miss babysitting. I wish I had the time to babysit here, but I honestly don’t. I just really don’t.

“I feel as if I’m rambling, though, which I absolutely hate. But then again, you can’t necessarily talk back right now, so I guess that me rambling will have to do. Apparently that is something that I do all the time. Rambling, I mean. My friend Niall says I do it all the time. Then again, Niall is a bloody irishman who drinks beer like it’s water and he’s dehydrated. I can’t help but listen anyways because Niall is my best friend. Niall is also my voice of reason whenever I do anything. He seems to know more about me than I know about me, if that makes any sense.

“So, incase you want more about Niall, he is my best friend. Maybe I said that already? He is the only one of my friends who stuck by me when I came out and he is constantly supporting me, even when I’m not too supportive of him. He always seems to know the right thing to say to me all the time, you know? I love hanging out with him. He is the life of the party wherever he goes and just seems to know how to be perfect in all ways. He has girls falling over at his feet when he sings at bars, and has managed to win three karaoke contests in the past six months, all while completely drunk.   

“Have you ever thought about why cats hate water? Sorry for that horrendous transition, but I was just curious about it. Niall doesn’t know the answer, and neither does anyone I’ve asked so far. Cats must have some sort of strong instinct to avoid water otherwise they wouldn’t avoid things like swimming pools. Just something random I was thinking about. Sorry if you’re listening and I’m boring you, but it’s not often that I get to sit and talk and not have someone complain that I’m being stupid. I’m kinda glad you can’t actually talk right now. Actually, that’s something mean. I didn’t mean it. Please wake up from this coma. Your family needs you desperately,” Harry said finally, pausing to sip something. “Just don’t ever think that you’re worthless, because you are worth the whole world,” Harry added, standing up, his footsteps near silent as he left Louis’ room. Louis tried hard to smile, the feeling in his face showing that he just might have been smiling on the outside. Louis thought it was an achievement that he could feel his face, but then again he suddenly felt tired from the strain.

Louis blacked out for another undefined period of time, waking up to the sound of soft singing later, Harry’s voice singing along with the very soft radio in his room. He was singing along to an Ed Sheeran song, tapping his toes as he adjusted something on Louis’ body, the flutter of sheets against his neck and shoulders a different sensation, the feeling in his body returning slowly, with just a touch of pain in his shoulder and a sharp pain in his head, clouding his thoughts with Harry’s voice filling any gap in Louis’ brain.

“I wonder if you can feel when I change your sheets,” Harry murmured, his fingers brushing against Louis’ collarbone as he pulled the sheet down from Louis’ face. Gentle fingers brushed hair off of Louis’ forehead, brushing gently against a bruise that sent shivers of pain to Louis’ brain as Harry pushed the hair off of Louis’ forehead. “I wonder if you felt me brushing the hair off of your forehead,” Harry mused, his breath warm on Louis’ face. “I wonder what color your eyes are. Are they blue? I think blue would suit you. With your tanned skin and your caramel hair, blue eyes would make you look like one of those cute boys in a teen drama show,” Harry said, and Louis could hear his feet moving away from his bed.”Oh, look, here is your family. Guess that’s my cue to go, right?” Harry said, the click of his shoes loud against the floor as he left the room.    

***

Louis listened to his mother talk for hours in what was apparently morning time because all his mother talked about was how worried that it was his third morning in a coma and if he didn’t wake up in a few days that they would have to move him into the long term ward. Louis couldn’t help but sigh heavily at the thought of his mother fussing over him. What Louis really wanted to hear was Harry’s slow voice as he talked, with his words filling his ears with the beautiful bass that made up his voice.

After his mother left with a squeeze of his hand (he could feel his hands and arms!) Harry entered, the crumple of a paper bag loud in the room. A radio turned on next to him on his left as Harry sat down, unfurling a brown paper bag loudly. “Bought some curry and vegetables for lunch today,” Harry said as he opened a container, the sharp smell of curry filling Louis’ nose as he breathed, his body twitching to move and taste the food. He could feel his toes and his legs and the pain that accompanied his left leg down near his ankle. But to Louis, that was all worth it because all he wanted was to be awake again. To Louis, hearing life go on around him was painful.

“I was thinking that I should talk to you even after you wake up. Because I feel like I’m just talking to you as you’re laying here, but I want to talk to you after you wake up. I feel like we could be great friends. Do you feel that? Maybe you do,” Harry said, the end of him talking punctuated by him moaning slightly. Louis could hear the familiar sounds of food as he lay there, the radio playing an unfamiliar song as Harry ate.

After the squishing of wrappers, Harry cleared his throat. “I talked to your mum before I came in here. She was saying how nice it was for me to sit in here with you while you’re here. Said that I must be helping because your brain activity has only increased. I said it was because you’ve been out for a while and are just going to make it out on your own, but I don’t think your mum believes that. I think she just wants to believe that every little thing that’s happening is because of some miracle. I think that you being you is what is getting you better.

“Ya know what else? My friend Zayn knows you. You and him are apparently real close friends. I met Zayn just a few months ago when he started dating my friend Liam. It’s pretty crazy how small it is in the world. We all go to the same uni, too. Probably even at the same party last weekend. Don’t know how I would’ve missed you. You look like a light, even when you aren’t actively here,” Harry said, just talking to talk. He stood, done with his lunch, squeezing Louis’ left knee, his hand knocking into something hard. “Sorry, just bumped your cast. I’ll come back later, alright?” Harry added, his feet moving loudly as he left, tripping over his own feet as he walked away.

A long time later, with more of Louis’ mum talking in a constant chatter of nonsense and more nurses taking checking his fluid levels and such, Harry came back, touching Louis’ feet as he walked around to the left side of the bed, plopping in the chair next to the bed, with Louis’ mother already having left for the night.

“Alright, Lou. Is it alright if I call you Lou? I like the nickname. Anyways, I brought a chocolate chip cookie for myself to eat. I deserve it today. I had to witness two kids with broken limbs. I don’t think this job is the one for me, you know? I might quit and take another volunteer space somewhere else. This job is so stressful, Lou. I don’t know how much stress I can handle, and I don’t know how doctors do it day after day. I’ll stay here for you, though. Doctors say you might wake up soon. I hope that’s the truth. I’d hate to see such a young, illuminated face stay dark for so long.

“So, I got a call from my mum today. She lives in Manchester, which means I don’t get to see her as often. Well, she said that my sister brought home a boy the other day. My sister finally has a boyfriend! Apparently they’ve been dating for a little bit longer than a month, but Gemma, my sister, just couldn’t wait to bring him home to my mother. Gemma is staying in Manchester for this summer while I’m stuck trying not to barf my guts out. Lovely, innit?

“Also, my mum said that she bought me something that she will ship to me soon. I’m actually super glad that she is sending me something because I haven’t gotten a care package from my mum since last February, which seems like forever ago. Last February I was with my now ex-boyfriend Nick Grimshaw. Las February I was in a band and my hair was at least three inches shorter. A lot can change in a year.

“I was thinking about dreams this morning. Sometimes I have dreams with trains where I get shot. Sometimes I dream about the kitten I had when I was a kid. But even then, I still have dreams of my future, the ones you don’t have at night. I wish I was a singer. I wish I went to the X Factor tryout I was meant to go to when I was 16. Trust me, it sucks to miss out on something that could have changed your life, such as a chance at X Factor. Everyone says I could have made it, you know. After singing with Niall at a club a few weeks back and performing for my music history class, I found that maybe I could’ve done it. Maybe I could’ve made it far.

“I wonder if you can sing. I always wonder if everyone can sing, because it feels as if everyone possesses some sort of singing talent, whether they are amazing at singing or just okay at it, everyone can sing in their own, special ways. Ooh, I love this song,” Harry said, getting distracted by the radio.

“ _I’m gonna love ya until you hate me. And I’m gonna show ya what’s really crazy_ ,” Harry sang, his voice matching the female singing perfectly. He continued on for the rest of the chorus, singing out ‘Black widow’ with all of the heart he could muster, but quietly. “Gotta love it when the voice goes all high like that. Provides me a tad bit of challenge, even though that isn’t what I would typically listen to,” Harry said, humming out the tune during the rap part. “I hope I’m not annoying you, Louis,” Harry added, standing to pat Louis’ knee. Louis concentrated on moving his fingers, trying to get Harry to come back. His fingers moved to brush against the back of Harry’s hand, his fingers catching on the smooth skin.

Harry immediately turned around, his hand gripping Louis’. “Did you just move your fingers?” Harry whispered excitedly, shock in his voice hidden underneath the excitement. Louis moved his fingers again, gripping Harry’s hand lightly before loosening, his body feeling heavy with the sleep he was fighting to overcome.

“Hey! Nurse!” Harry called out, leaving Louis’ bed momentarily to get a nurse. Louis could feel that he was in the edge of sleep, but he tried to stay away as long as he could through the numerous tests that the doctor did, taking his temperature and feeling him move his fingers twice out of the seven times they tried. After that they left Louis’ mother by his side, allowing him to finally get some rest.

***

Louis tried to open his eyes the next day but there was something nagging the back of his brain, telling him to wait. Why he would have to wait, he had no idea, but he trusted his own brain, instead wiggling his toes and his fingers and opening and closing his mouth and doing all of these things as long as he could tell no one was in the room actively watching him.

His brain was telling him to wait in his hospital bed for some reason, and Louis was going to wait. Maybe he would hear something essential, or maybe Louis just wanted another meeting with Harry talking his ear off like Louis wasn’t really there. Maybe Louis assumed that him waking up would change how Harry acted towards him just when Louis was starting to like his situation.

Harry came in after a herd of doctors had prodded at him, trying to illicit reactions when they poked and tickled his feet. He sat next to Louis’ bed and set a box on his bed, the corners prodding into Louis’ thigh painfully, causing Louis to flinch away. “Just open your eyes. The doctors see no reason why you haven’t opened them yet considering you have impressive brain function. If you are waiting for something, don’t wait anymore because we are all waiting for you, Louis. C’mon now. I mean, I even have a cake here that I made specifically for when you wake up. You can say that I’ve become attached, but I’m just excited for you. Is that weird? Maybe I made this cake more for myself. But you can’t have any if you don’t wake up right now,” Harry said, pausing almost as if waiting for Louis to open his eyes and reach for the cake.  

“Fine. Don’t wake up. You know, I really want you to wake up. I just want you to get on the road to recovery quickly because I know you have a life. I know that you were in the car hit by a drunk driver when you were pulled in. I know that you were completely sober and even crawled over thirty yards to try and get to someone to help you and the guy in the other car, even after he hit your car.  Just wake up Louis, because I know you’re brave and you have a life and I can’t wait to talk to you all about it,” Harry said, the familiar pat of Louis’ knee as Harry walked out the last thing Louis felt before a silent sob started in his head.

Louis was in a car accident and had the decency of trying to save the other driver, even when the other driver struck his car. Louis had the guts to crawl with what he assumed was a broken leg and a battered body. And Harry thought he was brave. Even though Louis didn’t really know Harry besides what Harry had told him, Louis wanted to open his eyes and call Harry hoarsely back, maybe to say thanks or maybe to tell him how much he has appreciated the monologue. Louis stayed in his bed though, almost too afraid to open his eyes now.

***

Louis could hear Harry come in early the next morning, before the hospital had started to buzz and before his mother had even gotten their to take her post by his bed. “Good morning, Louis,” Harry greeted, sitting on the edge of Louis’ bed. “I’m back again. The nurses say that I grew too attached too quickly, but I’ve grown accustomed to talking to you, even if its only been a few days. A lot can change when you have all day to think and nothing else to do besides talk to a coma patient,” Harry started, his hand reaching up to brush hair off of Louis’ now less tender face.

Without delay, Louis opened his eyes, squinting from the bright lights that were above him, his eyes focusing on Harry, with the light shining behind him like a halo. “Hey, Harry. Guess I’m not a coma patient anymore,” Louis said hoarsely, letting out a shallow cough.  

“Ah!” Harry exclaimed, reaching over to squeeze Louis’ hand. He darted away before Louis could say anything else, returning moments later with a doctor and Louis’ mum dashing into the room to see Louis with his eyes open.

***

“Hey, Lou,” Harry said six months later, his head in Louis’ lap as they watched Titanic for the millionth time.

“Yes, love?” Louis asked, combing through Harry’s long hair with his fingers, humming to himself slightly.

“When you first heard me, did you think we would be here?” Harry asked, sitting up to look Louis in the face. “Dating? Practically living with each other? Did you imagine this?” Harry asked, reaching out to stroke Louis’ cheek. “Did you imagine me looking like this?” Harry added, pouting slightly.

“All I know is that you pulled me in with your voice to a point where all I wanted to do was open my eyes and see you. Then you seduced me with your curls,” Louis responded, tugging on one of the strands. Harry smiled sleepily, leaning in to kiss Louis gently, his hands digging into the couch next to Louis’ hips.

When Harry broke away, Louis spoke again. “I can’t believe you stayed all this time,” Louis murmured, his forehead pressed to Harry’s. “Through my broken leg and my physical therapy and my anger and frustration and my ugliness. Can’t believe I didn’t scare you off,” Louis added, nudging his nose into Harry’s.

“Babe, sometimes you forget that I met you like that. I knew what I was getting into, and lemme tell you now, it was completely worth it,” Harry responded, leaning forward to kiss Louis again, completely forgetting the movie, their lips and tongues sliding together in the familiar way that made Louis want to grin like a teenager with a crush.

 

 


End file.
